Conventional, stock, and after-market suspension products such as air shocks and air springs are generally preset to a specific maximum weight accommodation level. This preset suspension does not always provide the best ride or handling for the riders. Additionally, motorcycles are known to have hard rides that are not comfortable for many riders such as the elderly, overweight individuals, and women.
Tuning conventional spring and shocks on for motorcycles can be arduously tedious, taking days or even weeks. Thus, it is not practical to allow for real-time tuning of conventional springs and shocks.
Current springs used in motorcycles are usually progressive in that their lifespan and use deteriorate over time. For example, as the spring compresses, the spring weakens over time, making the ride less desirable for the riders.
Conventional air suspension systems often result in nonsmooth and uncomfortable rides, coupled with undesirable vehicle ride performance.
Various types of air suspension systems have been proposed over the years. U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,309 to Beck describes a piston rod with low/high pressure chambers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,966 to Lillbacka describes a piston rod that moves within the chamber and is surrounded by an outer chamber with sealing gaskets. An o-ring seals isolate compartment from environment outside of shock absorber; compressible fluid in inner chamber; coil spring provided about piston rod; air inlet, a fluid, i.e. air, pumped into elastomeric tube so that the inflated elastomeric tube acts as air spring to enhance shock absorbing ability of shock absorber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,398 to Girvin describes a shock absorber with a shaft that extends into a reservoir housing which includes a hydraulic reservoir and gas chamber. The chamber seal includes an o-ring to separate the gas chamber from the hydraulic reservoir. There are springs on the shaft, a piston, and shim washers at the end of the piston, a reservoir cap, reservoir seal, and a bumper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,036 to Gillespie describes an airbag in a reservoir of a cylinder, a piston assembly disposed within an inner cylinder and mounted to a piston rod. The piston rod comprising of piston assembly piston, check valve, a seal ring, seal ring carrier, bypass spring, spring abutment plate, and an end outer cylinder sealed plate with threaded mounting member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,219 to Anderson describes a piston; reservoir containing gas cells. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,794 to Ward describes a gas bag; piston assembly disposed within inner cylinder; piston rod that moves within piston assembly and extends into rebound chamber; outer cylinder with end cap; seal ring; ring; spring; and an end cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,234 to Wight; U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,565 to Wicke et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,042 to Sell et al.; each describe self pressurized dampers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,875 to Stultz describes a shock absorber. U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,279 to Nils O. Mykestad describes a cylinder that defines a fluid reservoir containing a sack where air is introduced to a piston rod with sealing means and springs bear against it. And U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,058 to A. Boor et al. describes a hydraulic shock absorber structure.
The prior art discloses various types of air suspension systems and their respective components. However, none of the cited references overcomes the problems with the prior art described above. More particularly none of the prior art describes an easily adjustable system for use with motorcycles that allows the rider to have an adjustable ride based on the air suspension cylinders on those motorcycles.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.